Single:
At Seventeen entered the Australian singles chart* on 11 August 1975 and peaked at #18.
Album:
The song is on Between the Lines which entered the Australian albums chart* on 25 August 1975 and peaked at #16.
Songwriter:
Janis Ian
Producer:
Brooks Arthur
Record label of Australian release:
Interfusion
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
Songfacts:
In a Songfacts interview with Janis Ian, she explained that At Seventeen is about feeling alienated while growing up. It was more about Janis’ life between the ages of 12 and 14, but “17” fit better into the lyrics.
Ian was 15 in 1967 when she had her first hit song, Society’s Child; she had been on the road for two years by the time she was 17. Although her childhood was not typical, she knew what it felt like to feel out of place at a young age.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/janis-ian/at-seventeen
Lyrics:
I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear-skinned smiles
Who married young and then retired
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 70s
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